Trump's First Words at Kennedy Center Dinner Were a Diss
President Donald Trump kicked off a Monday dinner for the Kennedy Center board with a dig at their own organization.
'What a group of good friends,' Trump said of Kennedy Center's leadership as he took the podium at the White House event. 'We're gonna bring this place back. It's not so good. I thought it was gonna be beautiful.'
The president appeared to be recounting his visit to the legendary arts hub in March, when he lamented that it was in 'tremendous disrepair' and went on a litany of everything he wanted to see changed, from the decor to the seats.
The Kennedy Center has been one of many tense battlegrounds in Trump's bid to remake the federal government in his image. In February, he fired the institution's board members to name himself chair and install high-profile MAGA figures such as Laura Ingraham and Richard Grenell.
'The Kennedy Center was in dire shape,' Trump told the new board on Monday. 'It's been neglected very badly, and it needs an infusion of different things, including probably funds. But I think we're going to do very well when we get some money from Congress to fix it, because it's so important.'
The president accused Kennedy Center's previous leadership of wasting millions of dollars on 'rampant political propaganda, DEI, and inappropriate shows.'
'Who thinks of these ideas?' he asked, drawing laughter from the crowd. 'It's different. We're bringing our country back so fast.'
Trump, a longtime Broadway fan, earlier identified his favorites, including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, as examples of 'non-woke' shows that he wanted to promote.
The Kennedy Center's new lineup, unveiled Monday, includes The Outsiders, Spamalot, Back to the Future, and Moulin Rouge.
Chicago and Mrs. Doubtfire, shows that feature characters usually played by a man crossdressing as a woman, will also be coming to the arts institution, despite Trump's earlier comments criticizing the Kennedy Center for having 'featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth.'
Trump touted that the Kennedy Center has so far balanced its budget, 'eliminated DEI initiatives in all cases, brought back family-friendly programming that will attract large audiences once again, and launched a plan to renovate the building and reclaim the grandeur as a landmark really a Washington landmark—which it always was.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's DOGE efficiency agency says it slashes $25B in federal spending as rehiring begins
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Wednesday it has decreased its annual non-defense federal obligations by an additional ~1.9% since last month. As of June 8th, annual non-defense federal obligations are down 22.4%, or ~$25B, as compared to 2024, DOGE announced on X. The cut marks an additional ~1.9% reduction from last month's figures, which were announced on May 8. Doge's Greatest Hits: Look Back At The Department's Most High-profile Cuts During Trump's First 100 Days "Cash outlays will follow as obligations come due," DOGE wrote in the post. "Our initiative to reduce wasteful spend, consistent with the DOGE Cost Efficiency Executive Order, continues to bear fruit." On May 14, DOGE announced the current year's non-defense federal obligations were down 20.5% as compared to 2024. Read On The Fox News App The announcement came minutes before Fox News Digital was first to report the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is rehiring more than 450 previously fired employees belonging to multiple divisions within the agency's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rehired CDC employees came from the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director, and the Global Health Center, according to an HHS official familiar with the matter. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CBS News in April some personnel who were cut shouldn't have been. Doge Ends 108 'Wasteful' Contracts, Including For An 'Executive Transformational Leadership Training Program' "We're reinstating them, and that was always the plan," Kennedy said. "Part of the—at DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes." In addition to the HHS rehires, the Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, State Department, and Department of Housing and Urban Development started rehiring employees let go during DOGE cuts, the Washington Post reported. Doge Takes A Chainsaw To Federal Spending With 7 Major Victories This Week: 'Got To Be Done' Another roadblock this week was a ruling from U.S. District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York, who ruled to restrict the agency's access to federal databases. The Trump administration previously said DOGE could not work effectively with the limitations, noting DOGE needed to access Social Security information to root out fraud. Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel and Danielle Wallace contributed to this article source: Trump's DOGE efficiency agency says it slashes $25B in federal spending as rehiring begins
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
JCPD releases statement regarding ‘No Kings Day' protests
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Johnson City Police Department issued a statement regarding protests planned around the region Saturday. The nationwide 'No Kings' protests will take place across the Tri-Cities, including in Johnson City, Kingsport and Abingdon. The event is part of 'No Kings Day,' a protest against the Trump administration on the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C. The statement from the Johnson City Police Department is as follows: Crowder, Shenandoah, Zach Top and more performing at Appalachian Fair The Johnson City Police Department respects and upholds the right of individuals to engage in peaceful assemblies. We are aware of local gatherings related to national events planned for this weekend and remind the public that temporary structures and amplified sound require proper permitting, sidewalks must remain accessible for pedestrians, and traffic flow cannot be obstructed. Additionally, participants must comply with all traffic signals when crossing intersections. As always, the mission of the Johnson City Police Department is to protect the safety, rights, and freedoms of all individuals in our community. That commitment guides our approach each and every day. Johnson City Police Department The Johnson City 'No Kings' protest will be held in Founders Park at 9:30 a.m. To view a list of planned demonstrations, many of which will also host food drives, visit TennVa UNITED. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Forbes
32 minutes ago
- Forbes
When Is ‘A Minecraft Movie' Coming To Streaming On Max?
Warner Bros. Discovery announced in May that Jack Black and Jason Momoa's A Minecraft Movie would begin streaming on Max in June. However, we're a week and a half into June and A Minecraft Movie still has no release date on the Max streaming service, which will renamed HBO Max this summer. News broke on May 21 that A Minecraft Movie was part Max's new lineup of programming in June. The move was surprising given the expediency of the release coming to the streaming service, considering the film opened in theaters on April 4 and made its debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on May 13. In Warner Bros. Discovery's May announcement of A Minecraft Movie's debut on the service, the press release only said the movie was 'coming soon.' A Minecraft Movie is still playing in 346 North American theaters. To date, the film has earned $423.6 million domestically and nearly $527.6 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $951.2 million against a $150 million budget, according to The Numbers. A Minecraft Movie attracted unique attention early in the film's run thanks to the film's "Chicken Jockey" scene and the havoc that erupted during screenings. Piglin characters in "A Minecraft Movie." Warner Bros. Pictures With no new news from Warner Bros. Discovery about A Minecraft Movie about the release of the film on Max, the streaming tracker When to Stream is projecting a potential landing date for the film on the platform. When to Stream, which is typically accurate with its PVOD and streaming service reports, previously forecasted June 20 arrival for A Minecraft Movie on Max since that is the only available date that the service doesn't have a big title scheduled for release. In recent reports, When to Stream is sticking with its projection. The most recent mention of A Minecraft Movie's pending release on Max from Warner Bros. Discovery came in a Tuesday press release, where the title was mentioned among others that will be available to 12 new countries when the platform expands its global footprint in July. Rated PG, A Minecraft Movie follows four misfits (Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks and Emma Meyers) who are sucked into a portal in a mine that brings them to the Overworld, where anything the mind imagines can be built with blocks. It's in the Overworld where the group encounters a smattering of block-shaped creatures and the human, Steve (Jack Black), who is being held by a nefarious, pig-like group known as the Piglins. Directed by Jared Hess, A Minecraft Movie also stars Jennifer Coolidge and the voices of Hess, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Matt Berry. A Minecraft Movie, of course, is based on the blockbuster Mojang Studios video game Minecraft.